The Shrine (2010) Movie Review
Written By: RY
Edited By: Grave Reviews Staff
Film Information
Director: Jon Knautz
Writer(s): Jon Knautz, Brendan Moore, and Trevor Matthews
Producer(s): Trevor Matthews and J. Michael Dawson
Date Released: July 25, 2010
Cast:
Aaron Ashmore as Marcus
Cindy Sampson as Carmen
Meghan Heffern as Sara
Trevor Matthews as Henryk
Vieslav Krystyan as Arkadiusz
Laura de Carteret as Laura Taylor
Ben Lewis as Eric Taylor
Julia Debowska as Lidia
Rating = 3/5 Graves
***May contain spoilers***
Synopsis
The movie revolves around Carmen, a journalist who discovered an intriguing story. She discovered that there are sudden disappearances of tourists in a Polish village. Thinking that it could be an amazing story, she pitched it to her editor. However, her editor decided to reject the idea and let her focus on another story instead. But Carmen did not stop there. She secretly invited her intern Sara and her photographer boyfriend Marcus to join her in solving the case.
Gore Factor
In terms of gore, there is certainly a lot of blood in this movie especially in the scene when the villages are torturing Sara. The villagers lacerate her arms and sever her tendons, showing her blood flow in the process. Another scene that contained a lot of gore was when some of the villagers were killed by the demon. The villagers are laying on the floor, dead with blood all over their bodies.
Another scene is when Carmen, one of the journalists, saw a statue inside the fog. Blood started flowing from the statue’s eyes and it is holding a beating heart. There were also scenes wherein the faces of the villagers change into demons. Most of the time, it happens when you least expect it so there might be times when you will be startled.
The Grave Review
The Shrine (2010) is a supernatural horror film. The movie opens with a man killed using a sledgehammer. This alone can set up the mood that you are not watching a crappy horror film.
The movie did a great job with its plot. The flow of the story is smooth with an addition of mystery to make you hooked. In addition, the characters and the lines were relatable especially Carmen’s since her curiosity and drive led her and the rest of the main characters to investigate the mysterious village.
The plot was perfectly executed by having a setting in the forest and the sacrificial shrine. The scenes were taken at night or late afternoon which is why the jump scares are very effective. There was a scene wherein Carmen, one of the journalists, was about to sleep peacefully when she saw a guy with blood in his eyes.
The sudden background music and horrifying effects are effective as well in giving suspense in every scene. The movie becomes silent, giving one an impression that nothing terrifying is about to happen but one will be surprised to see a person full of blood or a demon appear. The movie also uses sound effects like the door creaking or footsteps to increase fear.
Its hard to throw punches at a film that’s so effortlessly entertaining, despite its inherent flaws and weaknesses. In many ways its these perceived weaknesses that actually elevate it to a higher status. The overacting, the ‘too bright’ colours, the head-scratching plot holes, (build a fucking fence!!) and the cheesy costume designs all add to its charm. If, like your host, you missed this kid on its release; give it some time. Its nonsense, but its good nonsense, and I’ll drink to that.
With these reasons, The Shrine is a good movie to watch. It will make you scream and fear of going to unknown villages.
For the foregoing reasons, Grave Reviews gives The Shrine (2010) three graves out of five graves.
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